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Bus No. 8 began production on Christiania - 40 Years of Occupation in September of 2006, shooting some 25 hours of footage over the course of two weeks in Copenhagen, Denmark. We returned in December and January of 2007/2008 for three weeks, again for the entire month of May, 2009 for additional shooting and archive material acquisition, and finally in September, 2011 for two weeks of final shooting.

Christiania - 40 Years of Occupation tells the story of the “free state” of Christiania, a 40-year-old anarchist squatter community occupying an abandoned military base in the heart of Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen.

Christiania was born in 1971 when youthful idealism and a severe housing shortage incited hundreds of young people to “storm the gates” and claim 85 acres of deserted brick buildings, woods, ramparts and canals as their home. Finding it politically unpopular to evict the young settlers, the Danish government declared Christiania a short-term “social experiment.”

With the freedom to experiment, the Christianites built a distinct culture based on group consensus, and a thriving economy of restaurants, bars, cottage industries, and an open hashish trade. In every respect, Christiania became an alternative that challenged, inspired, and frightened the society outside.

On September 26, 2011, Christiania celebrated its 40th birthday and launched an ambitious campaign to purchase some of the land and buildings, and lease the rest from the Danish Government. If they can reach their goal of 76 million kroner (roughly 13 million USD), Christiania will be on its way towards being a legitimate, though still alternative and self-governed, community.

Christiania - 40 Years of Occupation explores this journey from varied perspectives; longtime Christiania residents, government and police officials who have long argued the legality of Christiania’s occupation, and the Danish people, who view Christiania as a symbol of freedom that they both cherish and fear.

This documentary is currently in post production and is projected to be finished in 2012.